wrestling / Video Reviews
Memphis Wrestling (10.25.1980) Review
Image Credit: Memphis Wrestling
Loading...-Originally aired October 25, 1980.
-Your hosts are Lance Russell and Dave Brown.
NON-TITLE: BEAUTIFUL BOBBY EATON (CWA World Heavyweight Champion, with Jimmy Hart) vs. MIKE MERONEY
-Eaton is still wearing the crown and now has lots of little crowns embroidered all over his tights, and we get some context from the commentators this week, as Jimmy Hart apparently proclaimed him “the NEW King of Wrestling” a few weeks ago.
-Shot to the throat and a chinlock by Eaton. Slam by Eaton, and a big elbow gets two. Meroney gets a cradle out of nowhere and Eaton is upset about that. He hastily snapmares Meroney and ties him up with another chinlock. Suplex and a knee by Bobby, but he’s angry now and elects not to go for the three-count. Eaton keeps punishing him before slamming him into place, and a second-rope fist drop gets the win for the new King.
-Tommy Rich comes to ringside and complains that some of the fans are cheering for him when they know damn well that they didn’t do anything to help him. He became a champion by himself.
NON-TITLE: WILDFIRE TOMMY RICH (Southern Heavyweight Champion, with Jimmy Hart) vs. TONY BOYLES
-Rich gives Boyles a hard elbow between the eyes, and gosh, that works well, so he does several more. Boyles keeps putting up a fight, but Rich stays with the elbows because they keep working for him, and he sends Boyles into the ropes to connect with one more big elbow for the three-count.
NON-TITLE: KEN LUCAS & RICK MORTON (Mid-America Tag Team Champions) vs. DANNY DAVIS & THE ANGEL
-This week’s episode is starting to look like Mad Magazine’s wrestling issue and the joke about how wrestling has more champions than challengers. Tommy Rich sticks around to provide guest commentary, and my jaw hits the floor as he taunts Rick Morton by calling him “Punky Morton!” They were already calling him that four years before Punky Brewster was a thing!
-Morton applies a side headlock on Davis, with Rich accusing him of pulling the hair. Lucas and Angel lock up and Rich is all over Lucas for going to the ropes over and over again. Morton tags in and backdrops Angel for two. Rich calmly explains that he’s just playing with Morton by letting him get some offense, since Angel can take it. Lucas comes back in and hammers on both opponents. Angel takes control and gives Morton a knee to the gut for a two-count. Backdrop for another two.
-Davis tags in and drops a leg on Morton for two. Morton slips away and tags in Lucas. Shot to the gut doubles Davis over, and Morton slingshots himself back in and sunset flips Davis for three. Rich is furious because technically, Morton went over the top rope, so how can that finisher count? This was okay.
KOKO WARE vs. TOM MALEY
-Koko takes Maley down to the mat. Maley fights back with a Wattskick. They throw dropkicks at the same time and crash to the mat. Koko does a sweet-looking succession of moves, tying up Maley’s arms and then hooking the legs for a three-count. Short and nothing special, but…man…something reeeeeeeally needs to happen on this week’s show.
TONY CHARLES vs. DAVID OSWALD
-Both guys have a good scientific match while Tommy Rich hangs out and just keeps egging everyone on at the commentary table. Charles applies a toehold and comes really really close to applying a proto-sharpshooter, but loses his grip and doesn’t quite have it. Uppercut by Charles. Oswald tries to come off the ropes with something, but Charles dropkicks him for the pin.
EXPIRATION OF TIME: TOJO YAMAMOTO, ROBERT GIBSON, & CARL FERGIE vs. GYPSY JOE, DR. BILL IRWIN, & JIMMY KENT
FALL ONE: Joe goes to the mat with Robert Gibson. Joe applies a toehold, then tags in Irwin. Irwin and Fergie go at it next. Irwin targets the ribs and Fergie retaliates with punches. Tojo tags in and winds the arm and Tommy Rich just lets the racism hang all out on commentary in a way that would lead to a clumsily-worded press release if it happened today. Gibson tags in and works the arm too. Kent tags in and gets caught in a toehold. Joe tags in and gets knocked around by the forces of good. Fergie applies a front facelock on him. Kent tags back in, so they must have gotten the go-home signal. Backdrop by Gibson, and a Fuller leglock gets the submission with pretty much no time left in the show. Good match but again, it was there.
